General Licensing Information
Any public business where alcohol is sold and consumed on its premises must be licensed by the state. A person must be at least 21 years of age to purchase, consume, or hold any kind of alcohol license in Utah. Applicants must also qualify to hold a DABS license and a criminal background check will be conducted.
Utah separates alcoholic beverages into two categories: 'beer' & 'liquor'.
Beer: The term 'beer' and 'light beer' by statute means a traditionally brewed beer that contains 5% or less of alcohol by volume (ABV) and is sold by beer distributors throughout the state to retail licensees and permit holders. Beer consumed on the premises of a retail business (such as restaurants or bars) must have both local and state licensing.
Liquor: Liquor includes distilled spirits, wine, flavored malt beverages, and "strong" or "heavy" beer containing more than 5% ABV. All packaged liquor is sold in state-owned liquor stores or state authorized package agencies at prices set by the state. For businesses which serve any alcohol to the public for on premises consumption must have both the appropriate local and state licensing.
Applying for a License: Licenses and special use permits are issued by the Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission, a part-time governing board that meets only once a month. Because of this, you must submit your application(s) to the Licensing & Compliance Division by the 10th of the month to allow sufficient time for processing for that month. Once your application and supporting documents are complete, you will be notified of the meeting date and time that your application will be considered by the Commission.
Pro-rating the application fees is not available. For instance, restaurant licenses renew in September. If you pay all the application and licensing fees and obtain a restaurant license in September, you will still have to immediately renew the license and pay full renewal fees by the end of September.
Training: Every individual who is employed to sell or furnish alcoholic beverages, as well as managers, must complete and pass an approved alcohol server training within 30 days of employment. Every manager employed in a DABS retail licensed business must also complete a manager training program.
On-Premises Retail Licenses: Retail licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consumed on premises, are available for all restaurant types, banquet facilities, reception centers, qualified resorts, airport lounges, bars, and beer recreational retailers such as (but not limited to) ski resorts, golf courses and bowling centers. All retail licenses will be required to meet PROXIMITY REQUIREMENTS to businesses who may be located too close to schools, churches, parks, playgrounds, and libraries.
Off-Premises Retail Licenses: Effective July 1, 2018, grocery stores and convenient stores are required to obtain an off-premise state license in addition to local licensing.
All retail licenses renew annually. Beer only licenses must be renewed by January 31st and licenses run from March 1st to the last day in February. Bar licenses must be renewed by the last day of May and licenses run from July 1st until June 30th. Restaurants, banquet, reception centers, resorts, arenas, hospitality amenities and hotel licenses must be renewed by September 30th and run from November 1st through October 31st.
Retail seasonal licenses may be obtained as well. A summer seasonal license runs from April 1st, until October 31st. Winter seasonal license runs from November 1st to March 31. However, fees will be the same as a full year license.
Manufacturing and Distribution Licenses: Other license types are issued for manufacturers (winery, distillery, brewery, and local industry representatives), and distribution (liquor warehouses, beer wholesalers, and liquor transport). The certificate of approval form is required for out-of-state brewers, importers, or suppliers of heavy beer, and flavored malt beverages.
Special Use Permits are issued for special use (religious wine, industrial or manufacturing, scientific or educational, and public service entities such as airlines, trains, etc.).
Temporary Event Permits: Single event and temporary beer event permits are issued by the DABS Director contingent on review of the Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission. To ensure adequate processing and approval for these types of permits, complete applications should be submitted 30 days prior to the event. Applications submitted outside of these guidelines risk non-issuance of a permit. Additionally, due to statutory restrictions, temporary event applications received less than 7 business days prior to the event will not be considered.
FACTORS THE COMMISSION CONSIDERS
Current Licensees
The 'Licensee List' reports are a partial list of active licenses that is sorted by county. You have the option to view the reports in pdf or excel format.
New Licenses Issued at Recent Commission Meeting
